SNP and Scots Labour win seats in Leith by-election

LABOUR has had its first success at the ballot box in Scotland since it was reduced at the general election to just one MP north of the border.

The party took a seat from the Greens in an Edinburgh City Council by-election in the Leith Walk ward. The SNP also held a seat in the same ward.

It was the first time in Scotland that a by-election took place to fill two vacancies in the same ward using the STV voting system.

Labour’s win came despite a swing in first-preference votes of 7.6% from it to the SNP - but this was a much smaller swing in favour of the Scottish Nationalists than at the general election and in other Scottish council by-elections since then.

The Greens were unable to hold the seat even though their vote share fell by only 1.5 percentage points.